Literacy and Development: A Study of Yemissrach Dimts Literacy Campaign in Ethiopia.

Sjostrom, Margareta; Sjostrom, Rolf

The Yemissrach Dimts Literacy Campaign in Ethiopia, begun in 1962 and concentrated in rural areas for the benefit of adults, was evaluated in a study of 466 program participants and 66 additional adult villagers. The study focused on student achievement, teaching methods, benefits experienced by participants, and the literacy campaign's role within a larger socioeconomic and political context. Results indicate that students became literate in one to two years of participation. However, individual students said they had not experienced benefits from their literacy skills. Reading in Amharic was taught by synthetic and analytic methods, with the influence of traditional teaching methods obvious. While motivation for sending children to school was strong, adults said it was seldom possible for them to attend themselves. In the case of women and girls, tradition was probably a major obstacle to attendance. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)